


Somebody to Love

by MariaArnt



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, Stormpilot, Surprise Kissing, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 20:42:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6129472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaArnt/pseuds/MariaArnt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Finn admits to Poe that he has a thing for Rey, Poe decides to help Finn get the girl, even if it hurts his own heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somebody to Love

**Author's Note:**

> So I am not usually one to write fluff, but this story grabbed on to me and would not let go. The image of poor besotted Poe playing Fairy Godmother was just too good to pass up. Enjoy!

Poe had been looking for Finn for nearly half an hour when he found him, staring off at the sunset, on _top_ of the hangar. He let himself watch the young man for a few moments of self indulgence. He had a dreamy, distant look on his face, and Poe couldn't help but smile as he sat next to the ex-stormtrooper.

"You look a million parsecs away," he said by way of greeting. "Credit for your thoughts?"

Finn didn't seem startled by the pilot's intrusion, still wrapped up in his thoughts. But there was a hint of tell-tale color in his dark cheeks that gave him away. "Nothing."

Poe lifted an eyebrow. "I see. And does nothing have a name? They certainly seem to have your attention."

Finn laughed and ran a hand over his hair. "I forget, without the helmet on, how easy it is for people to tell what I'm thinking."

"Like a holo-banner," Poe agreed. "Well, who is it then?" He couldn't help the hitch in his chest as he teased his friend. His jocular nature hid a genuine curiosity.

Finn looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and gave in. "Well, it's this rather amazing pilot," he admitted. "Who I risked everything to help escape and got way in over my head and experienced things I never thought I would see..."

Poe couldn't breathe. He watched as Finn stared at the sun, and tried to think of something to say.

But Finn made a disgusted sound and ducked his head. "But she's so incredible, she'd never go for a guy like me."

It took eight full standard seconds for Poe to catch up to what Finn had said. "She? Oh, you mean..."

"Rey," Finn sighed the name. He obviously had it pretty bad.

Poe glanced down at his hands and tried not to feel disappointed. _This man is my friend,_ he told himself, _I want him to be happy._

"Nah," Poe punched Finn in the arm playfully. "She'd be lucky to have a guy like you!"

But Finn just shook his head. "I don't even know where to start."

Poe considered the quandry. "Well, she mentioned on her last call that she's going to have some free time in a bit, right? Master Luke said she could take some time on a supply run, wasn't it?"

Finn glanced at his friend dubiously. "Yeah?"

"Well, you should go meet up with her! Take her on a date!"

This time Finn's blush was unmistakeable. "A date?" He shook his head.

"Yeah! What kind of things does she like to do?" Poe had only briefly met the young woman, before she had gone off to find Luke. She seemed nice.

"Uh..." Finn thought about it. "She likes to eat? I mean, more than normal. She's really into food. And ships, I guess?"

Poe nodded. "She's stopping by Corellia, right? I know a few really great dives there, and you can show her some of the shipyards. She'll love it!"

"I still don't know if she'd go for it..." Fin said doubtfully.

"Well, that's why you ask! Come on, let's go call her!" He got up and held out a hand for his friend. He cherished the momentary contact, but was careful not to let his touch linger for too long.

____

 

Rey had jumped at the chance to spend some time with her friend, although Finn had been pretty vague about the plans, just asking if she wanted to "hang out." Poe had then spent the next few cycles building up Finn's confidence, helping him figure out what to say and wear and telling him about the Corellian shipyards so he'd have some good conversation points.

On the day of, Finn had nearly bailed on the whole thing, and Poe was forced to physically drag him to Corellia, snagging a B-wing transport and piloting it himself. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so committed to helping Finn woo Rey but dammit, he was going to do his best.

While they waited for Rey at the agreed landing yard, Finn started to finally calm down.

"Found your nerves?" Poe teased him.

Finn shrugged. "I guess it's training. You learn how to clear your head before a battle."

Poe rolled his eyes, but not while Finn could see him.

Rey and Chewbacca landed the _Millenium Falcon_ next to their craft, and Rey came bounding down the landing ramp, hugging Finn as soon as she got to him.

_They look great together,_ Poe told himself firmly. He did not feel jealous, not at all. He sighed.

"Poe!" Rey called upon seeing him. "I didn't know you were going to be here! Do you want to come with?"

Oh great. "Nah, Finn just snagged a lift from me. I promised General Organa I'd get this old clunker fixed up. I've got to go get some parts. You two have fun!"

Rey was, he noticed, a little disappointed. But then Finn started telling her about the restaurant that Poe had picked out, and she brightened considerably.

"That sounds great, I'm starving," Rey agreed.

As they headed out of the hangar, Finn turned back to shoot Poe a thumbs-up. Poe returned the gesture with both hands, grinning. He waited until they were out the door to let the smile fall.

A soft Wookie bark sounded from behind him. "Oh hey Chewie, how's it going?" He turned to greet the old war hero.

He chuffed a greeting of his own, then, looking after the door where the couple had exited, bluntly asked if they had gone on a date.

Poe laughed. "Yeah. They look cute together, right?"

Chewie let out a whine that didn't lend much confidence to the idea.

 

_______

 

Finn and Rey sat side-by-side, legs hanging over the edge of a platform. Below their feet was a gap of several stories, and while Rey didn't seem to notice it at all, it made Finn a little nervous.

"It's so amazing to think how big the galaxy is," Rey said dreamily. "That many of those stars have whole civilizations orbiting them, and that we can build these amazing machines to travel to them so quickly."

"Yeah," Finn agreed, feeling a little lame. "It's really gorgeous, too."

Rey smiled, and glanced away from the view of the orbiting shipyard. She looked at Finn with the same sense of wonder, and it made his mouth go dry. Carefully, almost without noticing it, he leaned forward.

She leaned in, too, a curious look on her face. But just before he could kiss her, she suddenly pulled back once more.

"Finn, I--" she said at the same time that he blurted, "I'm sorry!"

She laughed a little, a happy sound. "I thought you were going to say something?"

"I was... I was just going to say that you're gorgeous, too," Finn tried lamely.

The smile on Rey's face dimmed. "Oh. Oh, Finn..." she looked away, suddenly sad.

"What's wrong? Did I say the wrong thing?" Finn panicked.

Rey shook her head, and smiled once more, but it was a weak echo of her earlier joy. "I'm so sorry Finn. Chewie tried to tell me that you meant this to be a date, but I thought he was crazy. I didn't think you felt that way about me."

Finn slumped, defeated. "I take it you don't feel the same."

Rey turned and took both of his hands in hers. "Finn, you are my first and greatest friend. You mean more to me than I could possibly say. You came back for me when no one ever had. But... I'm a Jedi, or I will be, and...." She searched for the right words. "Master Luke says the Jedi were forbidden to have emotional attachments that went beyond friendship."

"But that was in the Old Republic," Finn argued. "Things are different now. You can choose your own way."

Rey's smile grew a little at that. "Maybe. But I want to learn as much as I can before I decide what tenets I can afford to let go of."

"Then I'll wait," Finn said eagerly, but Rey shook her head.

"No, Finn. I can't have you waiting around forever for something that might not even happen. I want you to be happy."

"But you make me happy," he argued. But he could see he was making her uncomfortable. "Aw, forget it. It was a long shot anyway."

Rey gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sure you'll find someone who can appreciate what a wonderful person you are," she said confidently.

He laughed, and tried to hide his pain. "If you say so."

 

______

 

Poe landed the B-wing on D'Qar, and tried to let some of the tension out of his shoulders. Finn had been silent the entire way back. It wasn't hard to guess why, Rey's farewell had been thoroughly platonic and highly awkward. The date had been a failure.

As soon as the landing ramp was down, Finn stormed off in the direction of his quarters.

"Finn, wait!" Poe called, leaving the final cooldown procedure to one of the hangar crew, he followed after his friend.

"I don't want to talk," Finn said sullenly.

"Look, I'm sorry it didn't work out with Rey," Poe lied. "I really thought you had a shot."

Fin swiped his passcard over the lock on his door so viciously that he had to do it three times before it registered and the light turned green. "Yeah, well it didn't. Apparently Jedi don't have boyfriends."

Belatedly, Poe remembered something along those lines in the old stories he'd heard. "Oh, Finn, I'm so sorry."

"Whatever." Finn pushed through the door, but before he could close it Poe followed him in.

"Listen buddy, don't take this so hard," Poe tried to reassure him.

"Don't take it so hard?" Finn said loudly. "Seriously? The one girl I have a real chance with, and she's got better things to do!"

"Oh, come on--" Poe was not having it with this drama.

"I'm never going to find anybody that knows me like that! Nobody else is going to know what I've been through!"

"That's not true!" Poe shouted back, some of his own hurt leaking into the words.

"You don't know that!" Finn argued. "You can't see the future."

"I don't need to see the future to know that other people care about you, just as deeply, Finn." The words were out of his mouth before he could think them through.

Fin narrowed his eyes, catching the sudden change in Poe's expression. "How do you know that, then?" He asked sullenly.

_Oh, for..._ Poe grabbed Finn's shoulders and kissed him, hard. It wasn't a smart move, he knew, he'd gotten his rather prominent nose busted for trying it before. But he wasn't accustomed to ignoring his instincts, and everything in him screamed for Finn, demanded he strike forth with everything he had.

Finn froze, and for half a moment Poe's heart sank into his stomach. But the ex-stormtrooper made no move to push him away, and slowly relaxed a little. He didn't quite reciprocate, though, and Poe pulled away, instantly regretting it.

"But..." Finn said breathlessly. "You're a _guy._ "

Poe smiled and considered half a dozen witty responses to that, but then caught the genuine concern on Finn's face.

"Hell, I completely forgot, the First Order is weird about guys like me, aren't they?" Poe flinched, 'weird' was putting it mildly. He'd heard horror stories about it, but had always assumed they were just bad rumors.

But to his surprise, Finn laughed a little. "Yeah, but that was the First Order. Things are different now, and I can choose my own way." His words were half-whispered, surprised. After a moment he seemed to collect himself, and gave Poe a more confident smile.

"So it's like that, huh?" He teased.

Poe let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Yeah, it really is."

"How long?"

"Since I saw you wearing my jacket," the pilot admitted.

Finn let out a low whistle. "Alright then, I have no idea what I'm doing, but  I'm willing to give it a shot."

Poe's heart lifted with incredulous joy. "Really?"

Finn grinned at him. "Sure. After all, it seems like you know how to plan a pretty great date."

Poe grinned back. "That I do."


End file.
